My First Ikebana Class~

I attended my first Ikebana (flower arrangement)class today with Dechen. It was a simple session with beautiful flowers and I enjoyed myself alot. I realized I have so much to learn about the shapes and forms of flowers, but putting it all together is like weaving a story together.

This slightly cloudy Saturday afternoon, my heart is simply filled with gratitude. Thankful for this chance to come to Tokyo, to try so many things -- from exciting skiing, stage hosting with an adrenaline rush, serious presentations on politics and economic policy, fun-filled excursions with my friends to many places and the wonders of gardens... and today, I touched the soft petals and leaves of flowers and created my own work of art. This experience is indeed once-in-a-lifetime and I am beginning to see the changes in me slowly, but surely.

I look forward to attending my next Ikebana session with Chino-san.

****Some information about Ikebana*****

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (華道?, the "way of flowers"). More than simply putting flowers in a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together. Contrary to the idea of floral arrangement as a collection of particolored or multicolored arrangement of blooms, ikebana often emphasizes other areas of the plant, such as its stems and leaves, and draws emphasis towards shape, line, form. Though ikebana is a creative expression, it has certain rules governing its form. The main(?) rule is that all the elements used in construction must be organic, be they branches, leaves, grasses, or flowers. The artist's intention behind each arrangement is shown through a piece's color combinations, natural shapes, graceful lines, and the usually implied meaning of the arrangement.

Another aspect present in ikebana is its employment of minimalism. That is, an arrangement may consist of only a minimal number of blooms interspersed among stalks and leaves. The structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on a scalene triangle delineated by three main points, usually twigs, considered in some schools to symbolize heaven, earth, and man and in others sun, moon, love & earth. The container is also a key element of the composition, and various styles of pottery may be used in their construction.>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikebana